Aftermath
by AnimationNut
Summary: The minions are guilt-ridden and one of their own has disappeared. Dr. Nefario is not certain he can return after what he's done. All Gru wants is to keep his family together. In the aftermath of one of the darkest times in Gru family history, they'll discover that not even an evil act by El Macho can drive them apart. It only brings them closer together.
1. Down for the Count

**I do not own the Despicable Me franchise.**

**For this story, the minions speak their words backwards. For example, review is weiver.**

**Down for the Count**

The ocean they were currently stranded in wasn't by any means warm, but it also wasn't cold enough to make their bones stiff and lips blue. But the temperature of the water and the possibility of drowning weren't at the forefront of Gru's mind at the moment. He was too busy being thankful that he and Lucy were alive and he was content to hold her until his minions came back with their little wooden boat.

"You know, I think this has actually been the best day of my life."

Lucy's thoughtful voice interrupted his silent gazing. Gru arched an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh really?"

The redhead glanced at the vast water surrounding them and then at the volcano that was currently gushing lava in the distance. "Totally! I mean, I got to witness an epic fight, see the defeat of the legendary villain El Macho and be rescued by the man of my dreams. Hands down, best day ever."

It took a moment for Gru to process _man of my dreams _and when he did his legs stopped pumping from surprise. He plummeted below the water's surface and he hastily started kicking his legs again. Gru spluttered for a moment, spitting the water out of his mouth. "De man of your dreams?" He repeated.

"Well, perhaps not the _exact _man of my dreams." Lucy corrected. "I don't think anyone really imagines themselves being with an ex-villain who has an army of adorable yellow munchkins. But that's what makes you so awesome!"

Gru rolled his eyes in mock-hurt. "So eet ees de minions who won yoo over, huh?"

"They are irresistible." Lucy teased.

"Dave weell be happy to hear dat." Gru muttered under his breath.

"_Echo! Echo! Echo!"_

The two glanced up to see the boat coming back. Gru wrapped an arm around Lucy's waist and swam to meet the minions. He grabbed hold of the edge and helped Lucy inside before climbing in himself. He was greeted with three cheers and a leg-hug.

"Yes, yes, I am fine." He assured them, patting their heads affectionately. "Lucy, dis ees Tim, Phil and Jerry."

"Bello!" They greeted cheerfully and, to Gru's embarrassment, latched onto Lucy's leg in a hug as well.

"Sorry about dis," he muttered. "Dey're very affectionate creatures-"

He needn't have worried, as Lucy immediately bent down and wrapped the three minions in a hug. "They really are the cutest things on the face of the Earth." She paused for a moment before quickly adding, "Besides you and the girls, of course."

"Sure, sure." Gru snorted and leaned against the back of the boat. He was wet, tired and just wanted to go home. "Back to shore, boys."

Tim grabbed the oars and Jerry climbed onto Phil's head, the megaphone hovering inches from his lips. "_Echo! Ech-" _

"No, no!" Gru snatched the megaphone and threw it into the water. "No echo! Just row!"

Jerry pouted and Tim started pumping his little arms, humming a soft song under his breath. The sudden jolt of the boat caused Lucy to topple into Gru's lap. "Oops! Sorry, I've never really gotten the hang of sea legs."

"Eet ees alright," he assured her. "Een fact, I don't mind at all."

...

It took the better part of an hour to get back to El Macho's base. When they got there they were greeted by three very worried and anxious little girls.

Gru climbed from the boat and reached the stone walled courtyard. Agnes promptly burst into happy tears at the sight of him and threw herself into his arms. Gru hoisted her into the air and bounced her gently. "Ssh, don't cry. I'm fine, see? All fingers and toes attached."

Edith wiped the tears off of her cheeks and wrapped her arms around his leg. "That was cool," she mumbled into the black fabric of his pants. "The way you saved Miss Lucy and escaped death from a rocket tied with dynamite and a shark."

"Eet wasn't cool at de time, but eet ees now." Gru joked lightly, playing with the strands of blonde hair that poked out of Edith's beloved pink beanie.

Margo grabbed hold of his hand, catching his attention. Her brown eyes were filled with tears. "I was so afraid," she whispered, the words almost being smothered by a sob. "I was afraid we'd lose you and that...and that..."

Gru bent down and engulfed all three into a tight embrace. "I promised I wouldn't ever leave yoo again." He said softly. "And I won't."

Margo buried her face in his jacket, her sobs coming loose and her small body shaking. Gru rubbed her back soothingly and took a moment to be thankful that everyone he cared about came out of the battle safely.

Lucy watched the reunion with a lump in her throat. It was so sweet and endearing to see Gru nearly smothered by three young girls. A sudden pang entered her chest, and it surprised her when she realized that it was longing-a longing to be a part of the most unique and loving family she had ever seen.

"Miss Lucy?"

The redhead glanced down to see the youngest had broken free of her father and wandered over to her. The raven-haired girl shuffled her feet and peered up shyly. "I'm glad you're okay too." She extended her arms hesitantly, as if afraid her gesture would be rejected.

"Aw, thanks, sweetie!" Lucy bent down and took the little girl into her arms. The simple embrace filled her heart with warmth and happiness.

Agnes stepped back after a moment and wiped the lingering tears off of her face. She peered around the compound and looked up at her adopted father with a worried expression. "Gru?"

"Yes, keeten?" Gru studied her intently. "Ees somet'ing wrong? Did yoo get hurt?"

"No, but the cousins did."

Gru followed her pointed finger and noticed for the first time that the vast majority of his minions were still lying on the ground, limp and unmoving. Those who had managed to muster up enough energy to attack the mutated El Macho with jelly-guns were trying their best to get the others to their feet.

"Can minions die?" Edith asked in a whisper, her eyes expressing fear at what the answer may be.

Gru truly did not know how to answer that question. When under the influence of the mutagen, they were indestructible. And while they were certainly durable without it, there had never been a situation dire enough to see if minions had an end to their lives.

"I don't know," he finally answered. "As yoo know, de minions have been alive since de beginning of time. I am sure eet weell take more den a formula to finish dem off."

"Gru, old boy! You gave us quite a scare!" Dr. Nefario came up behind Gru and clapped him on the back.

"De scare ees not over yet." Gru muttered to the elderly man. "De minions don't look so good."

"It's the after effects of the mutagen." Dr. Nefario explained. "The ingredients inside corrupted their original DNA so much that it's going to take their systems a while to get back into shape."

Relief coursed through Gru. "Dat's good. But...how are we goeeng to get all of dem back home?"

"Multiple trips." Dr. Nefario shrugged. "And I mean _multiple _trips."

Gru sighed heavily and processed this. "Alright. Lucy, geeve Ramsbottom a call."

"Got it." Lucy whipped out her cell phone, which was remarkably dry. Gru, who had meant that Lucy should hijack El Macho's phone, stared in disbelief. "Latest in A.V.L technology," she explained. "Waterproof cell phone."

Margo could not help but stare in awe. "I could use one of those."

"No yoo couldn't!" Gru said sharply. "The rest of us weell be een charge of letteeng de minions loose from de cages."

"Let's move people!" Edith barked, racing as fast as her little legs could carry her to the nearest cage. Margo scooped up Agnes and followed after the blonde cannonball. Dr. Nefario rounded up the minions he had brought with him and set off for the cages on the right side of the compound.

"Silas is on his way with the troops," Lucy informed, snapping her cell phone shut. "He also said that Floyd Eagle-san will be released from custody immediately and all charges will be dropped."

"I don't suppose an apology was een dere?" Gru asked, a tinge of annoyance to his voice.

Lucy smiled apologetically. "Silas isn't the apologizing type of person. But _I _am sorry, for not believing you right away about Eduardo being El Macho."

Gru could hear the guilt in her voice. He rested a hand on her shoulder and gave a soft smile. "To be fair, dose furst accusations were made mostly because I didn't want his son dateeng my daughter. I should have made more of an effort to get evidence to prove dat I was correct."

"Oh, Antonio!" Lucy exclaimed, the boy having completely fled her mind. "Where is he? What are we going to do about him? He's going to be an orphan now!"

Gru rubbed his forehead with a sigh. While he didn't like the boy one little bit, throwing a child into an orphanage was not something he wanted to do. "One t'ing at a time. Antonio eesn't here right now, so he'll have to be dealt weeth later."

Lucy nodded. "Right. Minions first. Antonio can wait."

The redhead then scurried off to help the girls escort the dazed, weak minions from the metal entrapments. She completely accepted that his thousands of minions took priority over a little boy whose father would be thrown in jail, leaving him alone.

Yes, there was no doubt about it. Lucy Wilde was one heck of a woman-and the perfect woman for him.

**So this will be a short story, probably only five chapters, on the aftermath of the El Macho battle. I apologize if Gru's accent is off or if it's too much. I don't do accents well xD **


	2. Don't Mess With Gru

**I do not own the Despicable Me franchise.**

**For this story, the minions speak their words backwards. For example, review is weiver.**

**Don't Mess With Gru**

"Come on, Ted." Edith coaxed. "You've been hit with missiles and bombs-there's no way a stupid mutagen could bring you down."

But the little minion was too tired to move a muscle. He was slumped at the bottom of one of the metal cages, his eyes half-lidded. "Derit." He moaned. "T'nod tnaw ot evom."

The blonde cast a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure that all the other minions had made their way to the courtyard. "Everyone good?"

They all turned to give her looks of bafflement and Edith winced. Of course they weren't good! They had been brainwashed and forced to attack their own master. "Never mind." She said hastily. Edith turned back and stared at the lone minion left in the spherical cage she was in charge of evacuating.

Carefully, Edith stepped onto the metal bars that made up the cage. She inched her way towards the center where Ted was lying. "Hang on, I'm almost-"

"Edith! What are yoo doeeng?"

Edith paused, balancing on the bar and turning her head to glance at Gru. "I'm getting Ted."

Gru quickly made his way over to his daughter and minion. He picked both of them up and exited the pod. "Edith, yoo need to t'ink t'ings through more often. We don't know eef dese pods have a set leeft-off time!"

Edith arched an eyebrow. "So I was supposed to leave him?"

"No! Yoo should have come and gotten me." Gru set the two on the concrete. Ted managed to stay on his feet but he looked close to collapsing at any minute. "Hang een dere, Ted. Dr. Nefario weell be back at any moment."

Edith pushed her beanie up and peered at the seemingly endless stream of yellow splayed out in the courtyard. "How many minions can fit in Dr. Nefario's ship?"

"Roughly three dozen, and eet's a tight squeeze." Gru said with a tired sigh. "He's only made four treeps so far and we're not even close to makeeng a dent."

"Gru!"

Margo hurried up to her adopted father and sibling, out of breath and panting. "We emptied out all the pods."

"And other than signs of extreme exhaustion there doesn't seem to be anything else wrong with them." Lucy added, coming up behind Margo.

Gru took all this in and nodded. "Okay. Gurls, I weell be here for a while. Yoo can catch a ride back weeth Dr. Nefario-"

"No way!" Edith exclaimed. "We can't just leave!"

"Yeah, they need us!" Margo said firmly. "After everything they do for us we can't just abandon them in their time of need."

Seeing the determination shining in their eyes, Gru gave a slow nod of acceptance. "Alright, alright. How about yoo gurls help keep de minions een high spirits? Your seester ees already getteeng started."

Margo peered around the courtyard and spotted Agnes, who was sitting in the middle of a circle of tired minions. Her face was full of animation and she was making wild hand gestures, which meant she was telling one of her rather creative (and absurd) made-up stories.

"Yeah, we can do that." Margo agreed. "Come on, Edith. I'm sure we can think up a story or two to make them happy."

The two girls ran off in separate directions, looking for the minions who looked truly depressed. Gru watched them go with a soft smile. Lucy leaned her head against his arm and smiled affectionately. "You all really love these guys."

"Eet's hard not to. De are irresistible." Gru said teasingly, throwing her earlier words back at her.

All of a sudden, a giant wind flew over El Macho's property. The trees bent back, the bushes were uprooted and the minions and the girls went flying. Gru wrapped his arms around Lucy and held her close until the wind died down.

"That's Silas for you." Lucy remarked, a sheepish smile on her face. "He likes to arrive in style. I should have warned you in advance but all this minion-madness kind of made it slip from my mind. Sorry."

"Eet's alright." Gru assured.

"No it's not. You're frowning." Lucy reached up and attempted to twist the corners of Gru's lips into a smile.

"De frown ees not for yoo." Gru said, gently removing Lucy's fingers from his face. He glanced up at the giant blue and silver aircraft that had landed in the now-empty courtyard. The minions and his girls had been blown to the edges and were straggling back to their feet.

A sleek black ramp stretched from the ship and touched down on the cracked concrete. The hulking form of Silas Ramsbottom climbed out, a pair of dark sunglasses covering his eyes. "I suppose it would have been too much to ask to have this case solved before it came to this." He remarked dryly, casting a pointed glance at Lucy.

Gru's frown morphed into a scowl. "Eet ees-"

Lucy placed a restraining hand on his shoulder and nodded in the direction of the yellow creatures sprawled on the greenery lining the courtyard. Gru gritted his teeth and clamped his lips shut. "We all should have listened to Gru to begin with." Lucy said to her superior. "We brought him on the team because he knows villains inside and out. He knew quickly who was behind the theft of the formula and even though his reasoning was personal we still should have listened to him."

"I do not arrest people based on mere gut feelings." Silas said flatly. "Now where is El Macho? I don't have all day."

Lucy pointed to the stone steps leading to El Macho's elegant mansion. The large, furry unconscious form was clearly visible. "We didn't administer the antidote. I figured you would want him in this form for solid evidence, since he's done a pretty great job of covering his tracks."

Silas gave a curt nod of approval and snapped his fingers. A dozen or so men in dark blue suits and sunglasses descended down the ramp, bearing heavy chains and several Tasers.

"You know, I think a Fart Gun would work better in subduing him when he wakes up." Lucy suggested.

"A Fart Gun?" Silas echoed, scandalized. "What moron would come up with such a ridiculous weapon?"

"My personal scientist and dear friend, Dr. Nefario." Gru said in a deadly quiet voice, silently challenging the man to the insult the gifted scientist further.

But Silas knew of the evil scientist's reputation and did not comment further. He turned on his heel and went to oversee the arrest of El Macho.

"He really grinds my gears." Gru growled, glowering after him.

"He's always been that way. You get used to it." Lucy shrugged. "When he gets really insufferable, bringing up the A.V.L Union normally shuts him up for a while. The last thing he wants is for an employee to complain about harassment or something like that." She paused for a moment before turning to Gru with a puzzled expression. "By the way, why would you want Fart Gun?"

A grin curled across Gru's expression. "Eet was actually supposed to be a Dart Gun. Dr. Nefario does not have de best heareeng."

"I think a Fart Gun is cooler than a Dart Gun." Lucy said thoughtfully. "It's more creative."

"Well, eet's gotten more use than I t'ought eet would."

"_Poka! Tup em nwod! Boss! Boss!"_

Roger's frantic cries met Gru's ears. The ex-villain whipped around to see his minion thrashing in Silas' grip. The man held the minion carelessly, gingerly keeping him aloft with two fingers pinching the black denim pant-leg. Gru was over in an instant, his face becoming a storm cloud.

"And just _what _do yoo t'ink yoo are doeeng?"

"I am taking this creature back to A.V.L labs." Silas informed. "We need to test for any lasting side-effects of the antidote. We very well can't test the antidote on El Macho. Who knows what side-effects might develop?"

"I don't recall giveeng yoo my permission to test on my minion." Gru said coldly. "And I'm _not_ giveeng eet."

"You have every single minion on Earth." Silas snapped, irritated. "You won't miss this one-you have ten thousand, three hundred and ninety-nine just like it."

"_Roger_ ees a he." Gru growled. "Despite what yoo, El Macho and many other veellain masters before me t'ink, the minions are not t'ings to be abused and bashed around."

"You _experiment _on them." Silas said slowly. "I know this for fact."

"I test chemicals on dem. All chemicals dat Dr. Nefario creates do not have deadly eengredients een dem. And eet ees not about whether or not Roger can weethstand de testing. Eet's whether or not he wants to go weeth yoo."

At this Gru turned to Roger expectantly. The minion rapidly shook his head in the negative, as he didn't trust anyone other than Gru or Dr. Nefario to do any sort of testing on him.

"Dere's your answer." Gru said shortly. "Consider eet the answer from all of my minions."

"This is ridiculous! I am taking this _thing _with me and-_ouch!_ You vile beast!"

For Roger had managed to reach up and sink his teeth into Silas' wrist. As the man went to strike the minion in hopes of getting him off, Gru's fist sailed right into his nose.

Stunned and in severe pain, Silas immediately relinquished his hold on Roger and cupped his hands over his bleeding nose. Roger scrambled behind Gru and looked up at his boss with an expression of admiration and awe. "Knaht uoy."

Gru gave a nod in response, his stormy gaze never leaving Silas. "I am goeeng to tell you somet'ing right now. _No one hits my minions-EVER._ Yoo are goeeng to bring El Macho to your airship. Yoo are goeeng to bring him to justice. When yoo drop El Macho off een prison or een your lab or wherever, yoo are goeeng to bring de aircraft back so we can speed dis process up. All dese minions are goeeng to be at home by _tonight_. Finally, yoo are goeeng to forget about dis eencident because eef yoo try to come after me I _promise _eet weell be de biggest mistake of your _life_."

In that moment Silas understood why Felonius Gru was considered the best of the best when he was a villain. His escapades may not have been top notch, but his demeanor was.

Aware that Gru would truly do harm if he did not back off, Silas sent Gru a cold glare and stiffly walked off with his men in tow, lugging the limp mutated form of El Macho behind them.

Extremely pleased with himself, Gru turned to see his girls and Lucy gaping at him. "Er…uh…I am not normally dat violent." Gru said hastily, suddenly fearful of what those he held dearest would think. "Eet was an impulse action and-"

But he didn't get to finish, as Lucy and Edith both breathed in unison,

"That was awesome!"

**What? Roger still trusts Dr. Nefario? What nonsense is this?**

**You'll find out the (simple) reason in later chapters.**


	3. Loss of a Minion

**I do not own the Despicable Me franchise.**

**For this story, the minions speak their words backwards. For example, review is weiver.**

**Loss of a Minion**

"You _punched _Silas Ramsbottom in the nose?" Nefario asked in disbelief. He was at the front of his airship, steering the vehicle through the night sky. Gru stood behind him, his expression one of exhaustion.

"Dat ees what I just said." Gru said in annoyance.

"That is not the best example to use when teaching Edith on how to tone down the violence." Nefario mused.

"I know, I know." Gru rubbed his forehead tiredly. "But I already told her to do as I say and not as I do."

"The good ol' fall-back of parenting."

"No, de good ol' fall-back of parenteeng ees de television." Gru said jokingly.

"How are the girls handling all this?"

"I won't be surprised eef dey have recurring nightmares." Gru muttered, his heart heavy.

Nefario glanced at Gru guiltily. "I am sorry for bringing them along. I suppose I wasn't thinking."

"Dat seems to be a trait een dis family." Gru managed a smile. "Eet ees not your fault." He paused for a moment before adding softly, "None of eet ees your fault."

"We can't pretend that that's true. I had a heavy hand in this whole ordeal. I regret every moment of it."

"Yoo knew de formula would not kill dem. Yoo have been around dem so much dat you know what dey can weethstand and what dey can't. Yoo also t'ought I would be happy to be a part of El Macho's plan-and a year or two ago I would not have hesitated. Yoo did all dis for _me_."

And one look at Nefario's face told Gru that he was right. The elderly scientist may have missed being evil but what he missed more was being evil with Gru, someone he had known for a very long time. "I thought you'd agree." Nefario admitted softly. "I thought…maybe things could go back to how they used to be, even with the girls here. They don't mind your occupation-I sometimes think that they miss the excitement of it."

"T'ings are different now." Gru explained gently. "I know dat making jelly eesn't exciting. De minions certainly don't like de taste-testing part of eet. Dey would rather swallow unknown chemicals. But I need a job, one dat does not put my gurls een danger. And weeth a record like mine eet ees hard to find one. I do what I can."

"I understand. It was my fault for making assumptions." Nefario spotted the tall, dark mansion that was Gru's home. He flicked a switch on the console and the backyard slowly began to part, revealing a secret landing pad. Nefario landed the airship on the large metal square and it slowly descended into the vehicle storage part of the underground lab.

Nefario pushed the button that opened up the side of the airship. The sides retracted and Gru and Nefario exited the pilot's cabin. The last dozen and so minions were snoozing, heads lolling to the side. Margo, Agnes and Edith were each cuddled against a minion, their small chests rising and falling with gentle breaths.

"I'll be right back," Gru said softly. "I'm goeeng to put de gurls to bed."

"I'll start waking up these little buggers." Nefario gestured to the horde of yellow behind him. "It may take a while, so don't rush back."

Gru nodded gratefully and gently scooped up his three daughters. He carried them to the elevator and all the way to their room. He set them in their respective bomb beds, peeled off their shoes and socks, placed Margo's glasses on her bedside table and tucked them all in.

He then stood, staring down at them with loving eyes. It was amazing, how one little event could change a person's life. The adoption of three spirited little girls caused his heart to open and his life to do a one-eighty flip.

And now with Lucy…he knew that his life would only get better.

"Goodnight, keetens." He whispered, kissing each of their foreheads tenderly. "I love yoo so very much."

Gru turned around and nearly had a heart attack. "Kyle!" He hissed. "How many times do I have to tell yoo? Don't sneak up on me like dat!"

The bluish-green furred creature gave him a look that clearly said, _And just where have you been?_

"Eet's been a long day." Gru said dryly. "I am sure Agnes weell tell yoo all about eet tomorrow. Have yoo been fed-wait, never mind. Eef yoo hadn't, I would not be standeeng right now."

Kyle gave a snort of agreement and hopped onto the end of Agnes' bed. He curled up against her feet and smiled contentedly. Gru rolled his eyes and left the room, gently closing the door behind him. "He's never dat nice to me." He griped. "And I brought de little beast _into _dis world."

The ex-villain descended back into his underground lab. He was able to catch the last few minions making their way into their sleeping chambers, which was a large, rectangular room with thousands of bunks imbedded into the insulated walls.

"Gru…I have something to tell you." Nefario said carefully, coming to meet the man by the automatic doors that led to the minions' sleeping chambers.

"What ees eet?" Gru asked, concerned. "Are dey minions getteeng sick from de formula?"

"No, they're fine. It'll take them a while to get over everything they've been through."

"Dat's to be expected. What's de problem?"

"There's one missing." Nefario broke the news as gently as he could, holding out the clipboard that was piled with sheets that were filled with the names of every minion in Gru's employ (which was the entire species).

Gru's heart froze in his chest. His eyes drifted slowly to the top page, where one name was circled with a red marker, making it stand out from the rest.

Mark.

"Are yoo sure?" Gru asked shakily.

"Yes. And I know he's not on El Macho's property. I scoured the area when I came in for the last trip. Even searched the mansion. There was no one left."

Gru leaned against the stone wall, pressing one hand over his moist eyes. He thought of Mark, alone in a place that was unfamiliar to him, and for all Gru knew his minion could still be under the effects of the mutagen. "I failed him." He whispered.

"That's not true and you know it." Nefario said sternly. "Just look at what you did for his brothers. You simply cannot be expected to know where they all are at all times. We've lost some before-remember when Jack took that serum and floated all the way into space?"

"And I hijacked a NASA spaceship to get him." Gru reminded. "It was my last big mission before I settled down."

"See? You go through so much trouble to make sure they're happy. They've never had a master like that before. They'll understand. Mark will understand."

"I suppose I shouldn't be as upset as I am right now." Gru said, his voice cracking slightly. "After all, as Ramsbottom said, I have ten thousand three hundred and ninety-nine left."

"Now we both know that's not the case." Nefario chided. "Since the day you first met Phil in New York you've grown affectionate of these creatures, all of them. You never left them behind on missions, you never work them to the bone and you went out of your way to make their own sleeping chambers and recreational room. You didn't think it was fair that they were considered worthless enough to be nameless. So you fixed that.

"You connect with them in many ways and they connect with you. Actually, I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was when you fell for the girls. The minions cracked the barriers of your heart first-it was only a matter of time before the girls destroyed them completely."

Gru took a deep breath and lowered his hand. "Yoo helped crack dose barriers too, Doctor." He said feelingly. "I missed yoo."

Nefario was not an emotional man, but at Gru's words he felt a lump rise in his throat. "Gru…I don't know if I can come back. Not after what I've done. The minions won't want to work with me since I-"

Gru placed his hand on Nefario's shoulder. "The minions either don't remember who gave dem de mutagen or dey're chooseeng to forgeeve yoo. We both know dat de minions rarely hold grudges, especially on dose dey consider to be family. Yoo made a mistake. Yoo fixed eet. Yoo came back to save me and dem. Did de minions say anyt'ing to yoo on de trips home?"

"No," Nefario admitted. "They didn't. They actually seemed pleased to see me. But _I _don't feel right coming back. I betrayed you."

"Eef yoo had not warned me about Lucy, den yoo would have betrayed me. Eef yoo would have sat the battle out, yoo would have betrayed me. But yoo didn't."

When Nefario still looked doubtful, Gru pressed on. "De gurls were asking about yoo when yoo were gone, yoo know."

"They did?"

"Dey wanted to know why yoo weren't in de lab anymore. Dey wondered why yoo didn't say goodbye to dem. I told dem dat yoo didn't want dem to see yoo get emotional."

"I…didn't say goodbye because I didn't think they would care."

"Oh, dey care. Edith's been pusheeng for me to get her to become your assistant. Margo hopes yoo weell help her with her science and math homework when school starts up again. Agnes' been askeeng eef she can call yoo uncle."

"Uncle?" Nefario repeated, stunned. "Really?"

"Dey like yoo very much." Gru said softly. "And I do too. Weell yoo please stay? For me? For us?"

Nefario was silent for a long moment. Just when Gru began to think he would lose his dearest friend, Nefario answered.

"Yes," he said. "It would be honour to come back in your employ."

"Family," Gru corrected, a massive amount of relief and joy crashing down on him. "And yoo never left."

Nefario smiled and the two men walked off, leaving the minions to sleep peacefully. Gru cast a glance back at them, a pang in his chest upon knowing that one bunk was empty. _I'll find you, Mark. One day. I promise._

"So, are things with the redhead serious?"

Startled from his thoughts, Gru glanced at his close companion, eyes wide from the sudden question. "Yes, eet ees." He said slowly. "We are meeteeng een a few days, after she gets all de paperwork and reports filled out from de mission, which I thankfully do not have to do."

"Good, good. Never thought you'd end up with a girlfriend, though."

Indigently, Gru glared at him. "What is dat supposed to mean?"

"Well, just look at you." Nefario waved his gloved hand at Gru's frame dismissively. "Didn't think you'd ever snag a catch looking like that."

Gru halted in the middle of the tiled hallway and scowled at Nefario's retreating back. "Oh, and what's your excuse? I don't see yoo with a girlfriend!"

"I'm working on it."

"Who?" Gru asked, baffled.

Nefario shot a mischievous over his shoulder. "You know her very well-Marlena did raise you, after all."

Complete horror and utter disgust crossed Gru's expression. _"My mom? Oh, oh, dat's gross! Dat ees nasty, man! _Why would yoo even say dat?"

But Nefario was already at the end of the hallway, laughing wickedly.

"Not cool." Gru muttered under his breath, starting after the man. "Not cool at all. Now _I'm_ goeeng to have nightmares."

**I have all the chapters already typed, so this should be finished by the end of the week (if my life allows it, that is).**

**The bit that states Gru first met Phil in New York City comes from my previous Minion story, **_**Extraordinary Creatures. **_


	4. Minion Nightmares

**I do not own the Despicable Me franchise.**

**Minion Nightmares**

"_AAGGHH!"_

Jolted from his sleep by the scream, Gru tumbled out of his covers and hit the wooden floor running. He ran blindly down the hallway and stumbled into the girls' room. "What's de matter?" He asked frantically, trying to clear the haze from his vision.

"It's not us."

"What?"

"It's not us." Margo repeated.

His mind slowly started to wake up and his vision cleared. Gru blinked and stared at his daughters, who were staring at him with expressions of worry on their tired faces. The screaming continued, now sounding much farther than Gru had initially thought.

The source of the screaming hit him with force. "Eet's de minions." He said in a rush, backtracking for the door. "Go back to sleep. I weell take care of dis."

Margo gave a nod, knowing that Gru would take care of the problem and let them know if anything was seriously wrong with her cousins. "Come on guys, back to sleep."

"But what if something is really wrong?" Agnes asked, hugging Kyle tightly.

"Then Gru will come and get us so we can help." Margo assured her little sister. "Got it Edith?"

Edith paused at the end of her bed, turning to give Margo a look of annoyance. "I'm not tired."

"You look ready to drop." Margo rolled her eyes. "And you heard Gru. We have to go back to bed."

Reluctant, Edith crawled back under her covers and rested her head against her pillow. "If I miss a fight with a ninja, you're all going to feel my wrath."

…

Gru sprinted down the stairs, his bare feet sliding on the wood. His fist slammed the red button that activated the transport tube and he jumped in, his heart pounding. For the first time in his life, it seemed that the elevator leading to the lab was not quick enough.

He reached his underground lab and raced all the way to the sleeping chambers, where the screaming got louder and louder. Gru met Dr. Nefario at the entrance, the elderly man also investigating the source of the noise.

"_What's going on?" _Nefario hollered to be heard over the cacophony of screams.

"_I don't know!" _Gru hollered back. He hurried into the chambers, where he discovered most of his minions wailing uncontrollably. Placing two fingers between his lips, Gru let out a sharp whistled, a command he often used to bring about silence.

It worked. The minions quickly stopped their wailing and settled for sniffling as they turned to their master.

"I am goeeng to take a guess and say dat yoo all are haveeng bad dreams." Gru said softly, seeing the troubled looks on their faces.

The minions nodded, peering over the edges of their bunks and staring at him with sad eyes. Gru slowly walked down the long hallway, letting his gaze run over every yellow creature. "I know yoo have all been through a horrible experience. Yoo were forced to do t'ings yoo didn't want to do. But I am goeeng to tell yoo somet'ing right now-eet ees not your fault. Yoo have notheeng to be ashamed about."

His voice carried down the hallway, allowing every minion to hear what he was saying. "I am not angry weeth yoo. I am not disappointed een yoo. Eef anyt'ing, I am at fault."

Cries of protest rang out and Gru had to whistle to regain order. When they settled down he continued. "I did not put attention to de fact dat I could not find most of yoo when I needed yoo. I brushed eet off, t'inking yoo had chosen to take vacation days to get away from all de jelly making and testing."

A few smiles were cracked at this.

"But dat was not de case. Yoo were een trouble. And I did not come unteel eet was too late."

"Ton oot etal!" Radcliffe exclaimed, hanging out of his third-level bunk to stare earnestly at his boss. "Uoy devas su lla ni emit!"

His brothers chimed in their agreements. Gru felt his heart swell, from affection and guilt. Affection because he knew no matter what he did he would forever be the apple in their eyes. Guilt because he knew he had some bad news to break.

"Boss!" Tim called from his fifth level bunk. "Evah uoy nees Mark? S'eh ton wnod ereh. Si eh sriatspu?"

Closing his eyes, Gru swallowed thickly. "I am afraid I have some bad news." He said. "Mark is missing."

A stunned silence fell over the chamber. Horrified expressions descended on the faces of the minions Gru passed and as he continued his walk down the chamber he knew not one expression would be of indifference. It didn't matter that there were tens of thousands of them. Sure, some minions had their groups of close companions but they all _knew _each other. They were a close-knit species, they had to be, in order to survive the abuse taken in their early lives.

It killed Gru to see the devastation, to hear the fresh sobs of Tim and Phil, who were Mark's closest friends and siblings.

"I am sorry." Gru whispered. "I promise I weell never stop lookeeng for him. But I want yoo all to know somet'ing- not'ing yoo did was your fault. I want yoo to really remember dat. Do not feel sad. Do not feel ashamed. And please don't feel de need to leave. Dat ees de last t'ing I want."

Someone tugged on his flannel pajama leg and Gru glanced down. A teary-eyed Bob pointed up and Gru followed his finger. On the fourth level bunk across from them, there was no head peeking down like there was for all the rest. Gru squinted at the nametag mounted beside the bed and frowned. Kevin was not one to keep himself isolated.

And then he recalled what Margo said to him as they boarded Nefario's airship to get home.

"_Oh, Gru, before I forget, I just want to let you know that the cousins' recreation room is a bit of a mess."_

At first, Gru had been too amused at how his girls often switched between referring to the yellow creatures as _minions _or _cousins_. But then he processed what she had said.

"_What do yoo mean?"_

"_Well, the roof kinda caved in."_

"_What?!"_

"_Oh, we weren't hurt. It's just that Kevin was under the effects of the mutagen and tried to attack us. I think he tore up the spare room floor to get to us, since it is right above the recreation room."_

"_Great. My insurance weell go through de roof."_

Understanding washed over Gru and he climbed the steel ladder that was located near every set of bunks. He reached the fourth one and gazed at Kevin, who was curled under his covers. "Kevin?" Gru prodded gently.

Kevin did not respond.

"Come on, Kevin. Don't be like dis."

A long silence passed. Finally, Kevin whispered, "I tsomla truh meht."

"Yoo didn't mean eet." Gru said softly. "And dey are fine."

"Tub I dluoc evah dellik meht."

"Yoo didn't. And yoo know what? I t'ink, eef Dr. Nefario didn't eenterfere, yoo wouldn't have done eet."

Kevin twisted over and peeked at Gru, his eyes shining. "Yllaer?"

"Yes. Killing eesn't een your heart. I don't t'ink any mutagen on de planet can change dat."

When Kevin still looked uncertain, Gru added, "Eef yoo want, yoo can go apologize to de gurls eef eet weell make yoo feel better. I am sure dey are still up."

Kevin thought this over. "Yako."

Gru climbed down with Kevin following behind. Kevin scampered down the corridor and just before he went out the doors, he turned around and hollered, "Evol uoy, Boss!"

And he rushed away, slightly uncertain of the reaction he would get to his bold statement.

Gru gripped the ladder as his emotions ran wild. It was the first time any of his minions declared such a thing and he realized that he was not as caught off guard as he should have been.

From the beginning the adorable cretins had claimed his rarely-given affection…and love.

A soft smile crossed his face as the other minions, emboldened by Kevin's act of courage, echoed the sentiment. Gru walked calmly down the hallway, reached the doors, turned around and said, "I love yoo all too."

Nefario gently shut the doors behind Gru. "That was one heck of a speech, my boy."

"I t'ink we all needed eet." Gru admitted. "Now eef yoo'll excuse me, I am exhausted."

"No need to tell me. You deserve a long, peaceful sleep."

The ex-villain nodded and headed back to his house. Before going to his room he peeked into the girls' room to see how things were going.

One look told him that everything went well. Edith and Agnes had gathered on Margo's bed, Kyle in Agnes' lap and Kevin snuggled in between Margo and Edith. The blankets were draped over them and they seemed to be sleeping fitfully.

Gru stepped back and retreated to his own room, his mind replaying the events that occurred over the past few days.

No other villain had understood his attachment to the minions. They didn't understand why he cared about every single one when they were carbon copies of each other.

Gru strongly disagreed with that.

Each minion had his own personality, likes, dislikes and hobbies. They were sentient creatures, not as stupid as the villain community believed.

They couldn't fathom why the once cold and ruthless Gru considered the yellow creatures to be family.

Dr. Nefario understood, shared his sentiments. The girls loved their cousins to death. And Lucy herself said that they were irresistible and held their well-being over that of Antonio, a parentless thirteen year old boy who probably still had no idea as to what happened to his father. Even Marlena took some time from her visits to go into the lab and visit with the cheerful workers.

If no one else understood his affection for the yellow creatures who were unfalteringly loyal, then so be it. They didn't need to understand.

Those he cared about did.

And that was all that mattered.


	5. Banana Time

**I do not own the Despicable Me franchise.**

**Book girl fan: Marlena is the name of Gru's mother, and Kyle is actually Gru's dog. Kyle is Gru's creation :)**

**CookiesxMilkEXCITEMe: Yes, I happen to be a huge Harry Potter fan. Is it obvious? xD **

**Banana Time**

Tim couldn't sleep.

He stared blankly at the wall, listening to the soft snores of his brothers. Gru's speech had soothed them to a certain extent-now they knew that their beloved boss held no ill-will towards them. But the harsh news of Mark's disappearance dispelled any comfort gathered from Gru's words.

Most of the others had fallen asleep a few minutes after Gru had left. Dr. Nefario had lingered for a moment before offering his own apology, which the minions gladly accepted. They had been with the doctor for far too long to shun him, especially for something that was done in the hopes of making Gru feel fulfilled again.

"Tim?"

The little minion rolled over and peered at the bunk across from him, where Phil slept. His friend peered up at him with wet eyes. "Nac uoy peels?"

"Nah. Woh nac I?" He replied sadly, slowly looking to the bunk above Phil, which was empty. "Od uoy kniht eh lliw emoc kcab?"

"I epoh os." Phil said feelingly. "I ssim mih."

The two fell into silence for a moment, each wishing that the blissful state of sleep would descend over their troubled minds. But when they were still awake after ten minutes Tim glanced down at Phil and suggested, "Banana?"

Phil gave a nod of agreement. Perhaps a snack of their favourite food would comfort them. Tim slid down the ladder and joined Phil on the ground floor. A series of pot lights lined the ceiling, allowing a soft glow to stretch down the hall. The minions followed the trail of light, coming upon the doors and exiting their chambers.

In the silence the noise of the elevator going up seemed like the sound of a gunshot. Tim and Phil winced and stepped out into the living room, listening carefully for the sound of feet padding against the hardwood floor.

"Lla doog." Tim whispered, thankful when no one came to investigate the noise.

They entered the kitchen, where the porcelain bowl of fruit sat in the middle of the kitchen counter. Tim grabbed two bananas and handed one to Phil.

The fruit was gone in seconds, peels thrown into the steel trash can.

"Yum!" Phil rubbed his tummy. "Erom!"

Tim looked at the bowl and froze when he discovered one banana left. Phil and Tim looked at each other for a moment before lunging, grabbing onto the banana at the same time.

"Mine!" Tim cried, digging his feet into the tiled floor and pulling with all his might.

"Nah! I tnaw banana!" Phil whined. "I deen ti!"

"Nah, I deen ti!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"_Mine!"_

"_Mine!"_

"What's going on?"

The new voice broke through their bickering. Tim and Phil turned their heads to see Margo standing in the kitchen doorway, her brown hair framing her tired face and cradling Kyle in her arms. Shame broke over the two minions, who knew they were arguing for the sake of taking their minds off of their sadness.

"Yrros, Margo." Tim apologized. "Ereht saw ylno eno banana tfel dna-"

Margo held up hand. A smile curled across her face. "No need to say more."

She set Kyle in the vinyl booth that wrapped around a small table. Kyle yawned and curled up into a little ball, eyes drooping. Margo went over to the cupboard by the stove and opened it. Tim and Phil gasped in delight when she pulled out a full bunch of bananas.

"It's where Gru keeps the bananas he doesn't want you guys to have." She explained, setting the fruit in the middle of the table. "But I think he'll understand-you deserve all the bananas you can eat."

Phil and Tim eagerly climbed into the booth and Margo slipped in opposite them, taking Kyle into her lap. Grateful for the body heat, Kyle licked her wrist affectionately and closed his eyes.

The thirteen-year old girl watched as her cousins devoured the bananas. When they both had finished they burped in satisfaction and slouched. Margo giggled in amusement. "You guys really like your bananas. So, what brings you up here so late?"

"T'ndluoc peels." Tim admitted. "Boss dlot su taht Mark si gnissim."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Margo said softly, sadness welling up in her chest. Mark was one of the many cousins she knew well. He listened often to her stories, taught her how to play tennis and was her number one rival in the video game _Extreme Kart Racing_. "But I'm sure Mark will come back."

"Uoy kniht os?" Tim asked hopefully.

"I do." Margo nodded. "Kevin found his way home, even in his crazy evil minion state. Mark will be back."

Tim and Phil exchanged hopeful glances. Perhaps, one day, they would see their friend again. They just had to have faith, like Margo. "Sknaht rof eht pep klat, Margo. Ew dedeen ti."

"It's no problem. Gru gave us a few of them back at El Macho's lair." Margo paused for a moment before adding softly, "I was really scared. I thought you all were…"

"Er'ew yako!" Tim assured the girl, sliding closer so he could give a hug. Phil did the same, and before they knew it they all fell asleep in the warm embrace.

…

_Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!_

The annoying sound woke Gru up from his slumber. An irritated growl escaped from his throat as he glowered at the closed window. "Tryeeng to disturb my sleep, eh? We shall see about dat!"

He snagged his Freeze Ray from his nightstand table and stormed over to the window. He threw the curtains back and flinched at the sunlight that burst through the glass panes. He flicked the latch and opened the window.

"Where are yoo, leetle birdie?" Gru cooed, peering around his backyard for the source of the noise.

_Chirp! Chirp!_

"Gotcha!" Gru cried and pressed the trigger, freezing the culprit in its tracks. The poor bird was frozen to its nest, its beak open. "Next time t'ink before wakeeng people up with your eenfernal noise."

Satisfied with his mini act of evil Gru got dressed and headed for his daughters' room. He gave a gentle knock and, when he didn't receive an answer, pushed it open. Edith and Agnes were still curled around Kevin but Margo was gone.

Frowning, Gru shut the door and headed downstairs. He checked the living room but the couch was empty and the screen was devoid of morning cartoons. Thinking his eldest daughter might already be eating breakfast Gru went to look.

And was greeted by the sight of Margo snuggled in between Tim and Phil, their heads resting against each other's. Kyle was sprawled in Margo's lap, tongue lolling out.

Gru arched an eyebrow in amusement at the multiple banana peels covering his kitchen table. "Dose better not be from my secret stash." He said loudly.

Jolting, the three snapped awake, eyes blinking rapidly. Margo's brown eyes focussed on her adopted father and she grinned sheepishly. "Morning, Gru."

"Bello!" Tim and Phil chimed, smiling innocently.

Gru picked up a banana peel and shook it in Margo's face. "What did I say about de banana stash?"

"The bananas in the cupboard are for us, not the minions." Margo said instantly. "Sorry, Gru. They just looked like they needed a banana fix."

"A banana fix for dem ees bankruptcy for me." Gru quipped. But he knew that in troubling times the minions would cope by binging on their all-time favourite food. "Fine, I weell let eet go dis time. How are yoo boys holdeeng up?"

Tim and Phil glanced at each other before smiling softly. "Ll'ew eb enif. Tahw sdeen ot eb enod yadot, Boss?"

"De recreation room needs to be fixed, for one t'ing." Gru walked over and plucked at the black denim strap of Tim's overalls. He gave a frown of distaste at the silver _M _stitched over the pocket. "And we need to get yoo boys out of dese uniforms."

"Tub lla ruo sehtolc erew nekat yb Big Jerk." Tim informed. "Eh evag su eseht ot raew daetsni."

Gru tapped a finger against his chin thoughtfully. "Well, dere's steell de spare overalls een de closets een de lab. Eef dere ees not enough for everybody Dr. Nefario weell have to fire up de sewing machine."

"I can help!" Margo added eagerly.

"Oh really? Yoo can sew?"

"I know a thing or two." Margo puffed out her chest proudly.

Gru grinned. "Den I guess I better go shoppeeng for more denim. Tim, Phil, go wake de others up. I'll geeve Nefario a call. Eet's goeeng to be one heck of a laundry day."

"Tahw od ew od htiw eseht?" Tim asked, pointing to the black material covering his small body.

Gru paused in the kitchen doorway and glanced back at them. A wicked smile crossed his features and he chuckled darkly under his breath.

"Burn dem. Burn dem all."

The minions grinned widely at this answer and scampered off. Margo eyed Gru warily. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Eet'll make dem feel better." Gru said, waving his hand dismissively. "Actually, eet'll make _me _feel better."

"What's going on?" Edith yawned, poking her head around Gru. "Did I miss breakfast?"

"Weeth dat nose of yours?" Gru snorted. "Yeah right. "I am just goeeng to make a quick call to Dr. Nefario. Den I weell make breakfast. Are pancakes good?"

"Pancakes are fantastic." Edith agreed. She shuffled into the kitchen with Agnes and Kevin trailing behind. "What's with the banana peels?"

"Tim and Phil had a midnight snack." Margo explained as her sisters dropped into the booth across from her. "They were upset."

"Htiw doog nosaer." Kevin said feelingly. "Ll'ti ekat lla fo su a elihw ot teg revo Mark."

"What's wrong with Mark?" Agnes asked. "Is he sick?"

"Oh…uh…"Kevin glanced at Margo helplessly, as he hadn't realized the little tyke didn't know of the missing in action minion.

"Agnes," Margo said carefully. "You know there are a lot of cousins, right?"

"Uh-huh. Lots and lots!"

"Well…with so many of them taken from us, there was no way to tell if we rescued them all or not."

While Agnes' expression grew puzzled, Edith connected the dots. "Mark's missing?" She asked, disappointed.

Margo slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead as Agnes' eyes grew wet. "Way to break the news with grace, Edith."

Edith could only give a shrug of apology as Agnes burst into her famous shrill screams. Kevin groaned in frustration as his already-shattered goggles broke completely, the glass spilling out of his lenses.

Gru rushed into the kitchen, hands pressed tightly over his ears. "What happened?!" He bellowed.

"Mark is goooooone!" Agnes howled in response, her tiny fists scrubbing into her eyes. "He's gone!"

"Not forever!" Gru said quickly and was relieved when that caused Agnes to quiet. "He'll be back."

"How do you know?" Agnes asked, sniffling.

"Er…well, I just do." Gru answered. He scooped Agnes up and nuzzled her nose with his. "Do not be sad, keeten. Mark weell be back one day."

Agnes took his words to heart and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Okay," she mumbled into his grey turtleneck. "But I hope he comes back soon."

"Me too." Gru patted her back. "But now ees not de time for sadness. We have to be strong. Can we all be strong?"

"Yeah!" Margo, Edith and Agnes cheered.

Kevin blinked, his damaged goggles hanging in his hand, and gave a shrug. "I sseug os."

Gru rolled his eyes. "Dere's de vote of confidence I'm lookeeng for." He drawled. "Now go downstairs and take off dat stupid uniform…and get some new goggles while yoo are at eet."

"Tub I t'nod evah yna rehto sehtolc!" Kevin protested, not at all content with the image of walking around butt-naked in front of the girls.

"Dr. Nefario and Margo weell be makeeng new ones for dose who've soiled all of dere backups." Gru arched an eyebrow pointedly and Kevin gave a sheepish shrug.

"A tol fo boombas og ffo nwod ereht. Od uoy wonk woh drah ti si ot teg tuo nrub skram?"

"Eef yoo guys didn't fight as much when transporteeng, yoo wouldn't go through so many clothes." Gru said dryly.

"Sreisae dias neht enod." Kevin joked. He hopped from the booth and scurried out of the kitchen.

Edith wrinkled her nose. "We're doing their laundry?"

"Yup." Margo answered, going to help Gru pick up the banana peels.

"That's a lot of laundry." Edith groaned, pulling her beanie over her eyes in annoyance. "I was going to do other stuff today."

"Like what?" Gru demanded, having no idea what sort of stuff would be pre-planned by a nine-year old girl.

"I was going to play ninja with Jack and Henry." Edith responded. "I need to work on my moves."

"I'm regretting buyeeng yoo dat costume now." Gru muttered under his breath, which was unfortunately heard by the nearby Margo.

"I told you so." She sang, dumping her armful of banana peels into the trash.

"Yeah, yeah." Gru grumbled, playfully shoving her aside to get to the bin. "Keep rubbeeng eet een my face and dere weell be no breakfast for yoo."

"I'm old enough to make my own." Margo retorted. "And my pancakes are better. Dr. Nefario even said so."

"He's old. His sense of taste eesn't what eet used to be."

Margo laughed and dropped back into the booth. She watched as Gru gathered the ingredients, Agnes and Edith fawning over their not-really-a-dog Kyle, and thought of the thousands of cousins and one uncle (who she had yet to gather the courage to address him as such) already at work down in the lab.

She thought of Lucy, the eccentric spy who probably would be visiting in the next few days.

Yes, the family she had was not the one she always dreamed of having.

But she wouldn't change any of them for anything in the world.


	6. Family

**I do not own the Despicable Me franchise. **

**If you haven't seen the sequel, there's a bit of a spoiler in the author's note at the end of this chapter. You've been warned!**

**Family**

The Gru household was far from peaceful. But it seemed to have finally succumbed to utter chaos.

The girls had finished eating their breakfast and the family descended into the lab to assist in the giant task of doing laundry and replacing overalls. The second the tube reached the underground facilities they were greeted by the sight of dozens of naked minions waltzing around.

"Whoa, whoa!" Gru cried. "Where are your clothes?!"

The nearest minion turned to him, mystified. "Tim dias uoy detnaw su ot teg dir fo esoht kcalb smrofinu."

"Yes, I did, but yoo were supposed to wait unteel yoo got replacement overalls!"

"Tim t'ndid llet su taht."

Gru slapped his forehead. Margo, Edith and Agnes giggled madly at the kernel-shaped minions, most of whom were not at all embarrassed to be seen without any clothes.

"Do yoo have any backups?" Gru asked impatiently.

Peter blinked up at Gru. "Fi I dah spukcab, I dluow eb gniraew meht."

"Nobody een dis place takes care of dere t'ings!" Gru threw his arms in the air and stormed off, the girls hurrying behind him. "Eet's no wonder I'm always out of money!"

Sensing Gru was in a ranting mood, Margo quickly excused herself and went to find Dr. Nefario. Edith grabbed Agnes' arm and dragged her away. Agnes frowned up at her sister. "Where are we going?"

"To see if any of the minions on washing duty need our help." Edith grumbled. "I'd rather be around them then Gru when he's irritated about something."

"Okay." Agnes said cheerfully. "Can I pour the soap?"

"Sure, why not?"

Gru had not noticed the disappearance of his daughters and set his eyes on Tim, who was helping Phil pile the black denim into large metal roll-away bins. The two had found some spare pairs of the familiar jean overalls with the _G _insignia stitched in the middle of their small chests.

"I t'ink yoo forgot to mention somet'ing to de others." Gru said dryly.

Tim and Phil exchanged confused glances. "Tahw?"

"For dose who didn't have backup uniforms to _wait _for dem." Gru stressed, jabbing a finger at the clothes-less minions scurrying in the backyard, helping with the loading of El Macho's wardrobe into the metal bins.

Phil shrugged. "Yrros. Tub s'ti on gib laed."

"For yoo, maybe. Do yoo t'ink I want to see yoo guys mooneeng me all day?"

Tim let out a snort of laughter. "Yes, yes, very funny." Gru rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face. "Alright, let's get dis done as soon as possible so we can cover up your banana butts. Who's maneeng de washers and dryers?"

"Carl, Dom, Heathcliff dna Terrence era gnipleh daol ruo sehtolc otni eht srehsaw. George, Danny, Morrison dna Kent era gnittup meht ni eht reyrd."

"And I'm guesseeng dat de ones weareeng Gru Laboratory overalls are de only ones who kept a spare clean pair." Gru observed, noting that the minions who had changed from the black overalls into their regular ones happened to be the most responsible of the bunch.

Tim and Phil shrugged in response.

Gru shook his head. "Fine, fine, keep up de good work. I want dat filth een a blazing pile by sunset-and I want everyone een dere uniforms by den as well."

Tim and Phil saluted their boss before continuing on with their work. Gru started off and almost tripped over Donny, who was stumbling along carrying a large pile of black overalls. Gru arched an eyebrow at the jar that was firmly encased over the minion's head. "Donny?"

"Boss?"

"Why do yoo have dat t'ing on your head?"

"S'ti kcuts." Donny replied.

"Okay…"Gru said slowly. "Do yoo want me to get eet off?"

"Nah. M'i doog."

"Are yoo sure?" Gru asked, mystified. The minions were known to have strange tastes in fashion, but jars for hats were just ridiculous even by their standards.

"Ti sekam a doog temleh." Donny tossed the overalls into the nearest metal laundry bin. "Thcaw."

Donny walked over to his friend Carl and slugged him in the shoulder. Carl let out a yelp of pain and glared at the snickering Donny. "Uoy kniht staht ynnuf, eh?" Carl reared back and tried punching Donny in the head in retaliation.

_Crack!_

"Ow ow ow ow!" Carl howled, clinging to his throbbing hand and hopping around the lab. Donny rapped on his jar-helmet triumphantly and Gru rolled his eyes.

"Point made." He said dryly. "But eef yoo change your mind, let me know and eet weell come right off."

Donny nodded and continued on with his work. Gru gave a slight smirk of amusement and turned to give instructions to his girls and was surprised to see that they were no longer with him. "Great. Now where did dey go?"

_Pwosh!_

Gru froze. He slowly turned to Bob, who had paused beside him. "Did yoo hear dat?"

"Uh-huh. Ti dednuos ekil a tew noisolpxe."

"Dat's what I was afraid of…"

…

Lucy Wilde was exhausted.

She pulled an all-nighter in order to complete all the pesky paperwork and the lack of caffeine was definitely not helping. Unable to wait another few days to visit Gru she decided to pop by and see if he wanted to do something.

The redhead rapped on Gru's rather off-putting front door (it didn't exactly encourage any guests) and waited patiently. When no one answered after a minute, she tried ringing the doorbell.

"I hope I didn't come all the way here for nothing." Lucy muttered, shuffling her feet. "Gas isn't cheap."

Just when she was about to give up the door flew open. Lucy pressed a hand against her mouth, eyes wide. "Gru! What happened?"

The ex-villain stood in the doorway, soaked from head to foot. Soap suds dripped down his sweater and created a puddle on the wooden floor. "Just a leetle mishap." He panted, leaning against the doorframe for support.

Lucy leaned in and sniffed Gru's sweatshirt. "Is that laundry soap?"

"Eet's laundry day." Gru scowled. "Edith and Agnes were helping de minions weeth de washers…and dey made de t'ing explode."

"Oh, geez." Lucy bit her lip, trying hard not to laugh. "Are they okay?"

"Dere wet and soapy, no worse for wear den me." Gru said flatly.

"I'm sorry to catch you at a bad time." Lucy apologized.

"Oh, eet's never a bad time for yoo to come around." Gru assured, resting a hand lightly on her shoulder.

Lucy beamed with happiness. "Oh, great! I came by to see if you wanted to grab a coffee or something, but if you're too busy-"

"No! Not too busy!" Gru said quickly. "Wait right here, just let me change."

Amused, Lucy waited in the front hall. She did not have to wait long, however, as Gru came back rather quickly, in clean clothes and all dried off. "I just have to make one call." Gru said, removing his cell from his pocket. He pressed a button and Dr. Nefario's number was dialed instantly.

"_Hello?"_

"Dr. Nefario, eet's me, Gru."

"_Gru? Why are you calling me from your cell? You are only upstairs, right?"_

Gru grinned wickedly at the slight panic emerging in the old man's voice. "For now, yes. I am goeeng weeth Lucy to get some coffee. You'll have to handle de laundry by yourself."

"_What?! The lab is close to being flooded, there's mounds of dirty laundry to do and piles of new clothes to make and you're just leaving me?!"_

"Yes good luck don't forget to feed Kyle byyyyyye!" Gru hung up, grabbed Lucy by the arm and dragged her out of the house. "Let's go before he sends a fleet of Fart Gun wielding minions after me."

…

The couple went to Java Town, a coffee shop that Lucy regulated. After getting their coffee they grabbed a table in the back of the café for a little privacy. "So," Lucy began as she stirred her beverage around with a silver spoon. "Your day not getting off to a good start?"

"Eet ees much better now." Gru grinned. "But eet was a disaster before."

"What exactly were you guys doing anyway?"

"Doeeng laundry for approximately half de minions." Gru grumbled. "I never noticed how much clothes dey go through."

Lucy laughed. "That sounds like a blast!"

"Trust me, eet eesn't." Gru said feelingly. "But eet needs to be done. I t'ink eet weell geeve de minions somet'ing to occupy demselves unteel we start up de jelly line again."

"Are the poor guys traumatized?" Lucy asked in concern.

"A bit. But what really hit dem-and me as well-ees dat one of dere brothers ees misseeng."

"Oh, no!" Lucy gasped. "Is he still at the compound?"

"No. Dr. Nefario checked before he made de last trip. Mark ees out dere somewhere. I'll always keep lookeeng, but I have a feeleeng dat Mark weell come home one day."

"I'll keep eyes on Silas." Lucy promised. "Make sure he didn't pick up your little munchkin on the DL."

"He'd be a moron to try somet'ing like dat." Gru muttered. "Did Ramsbottom geeve yoo any trouble for yesterday?"

"He didn't speak to me while I was there." Lucy admitted. "Our offices are located in the same sector and he normally spares a greeting or two my way. And you'd think he'd want to discuss the details of El Macho's mission, but no. I put everything worth noting in the paperwork-and there was a _lot_, especially in getting the custody papers sorted for Antonio-apparently his mother is still alive and back in his life_._"

"I don't think Ramsbottom be giving you any trouble anytime soon." Gru could not stop the devious smile that crossed his face, focussing more on the man he loved to hate rather than the child he cared very little about. The moment where his fist connected with Ramsbottom's nose would be forever satisfying.

"You definitely spooked him." Lucy agreed. "No one's ever done anything like that to him before. They're too smart."

"Excuse me?" Gru asked indigently.

"Well, Silas _is _a powerful guy. He could lock you up in a second. It's not a good idea to mess with him. But I think there's something about you that made him realize that even if he tossed you in jail, you would always find a way to strike back in the worst way possible." Lucy smiled knowingly. "You scare him."

"Good." Gru said, pride welling in his chest.

"But try not to do anything else to him, okay? I kinda like my job and you. I'd hate to lose either." Lucy said sternly.

"I don't plan on having any more contact with that jerk." Gru scoffed.

"So…you're not even thinking of joining the A.V.L permanently?" Lucy asked, a bit disappointed.

Gru patted her hand. "I would love to work weeth yoo every day, but eef I spend more time around dat man den I need to den dere ees goeeng to be a problem."

"I understand. It would have been cool, though. We're a dynamic duo when together."

"We are." Gru agreed. "But we don't have to fight crime een order to be a dynamic duo…we can just be together."

"Awwww!" Lucy beamed. "That's so sweet!"

"Don't tell Dr. Nefario I said dat. He'd _never _let eet go."

"Come on, you guys have been working together for a long time. You can handle a few barbs from each other."

"Oh, we riff on each other. But for some reason eet's always him who gets de last word."

"Are you guys okay, then?" Lucy asked hesitantly. She would hate for such a close and long friendship to end, even if what the brilliant doctor did was pretty extreme.

"Yeah, we are." Gru smiled softly. "All he ever does ees try to make me happy, even eef his methods of doeeng so are not exactly right…and I really couldn't imagine life weethout him."

"I think you guys make a great team." Lucy complimented. "You, Dr. Nefario, the munchkins, the girls, all of you. The way you cured all the munchkins and banded together like that was just amazing. You're a lucky guy."

"Yeah, I am." Gru smiled softly. "I just never realized eet until a few years ago."

"You know, I'm curious to know how a rough-and-tough villain like you ended up with three sweethearts. What made you decide to adopt?"

"Er…eef yoo don't mind, I'd rather wait another day to tell dat story." Gru said apologetically, his gut twisting as he recalled the selfish act of a past him. "Eet doesn't really have a happy beginneeng."

Although she didn't quite understand, Lucy nodded. "Sure, no problem. But I would like to hear the story one day."

"One day." Gru promised. "What about yoo? Where does your family live?"

"It's just me, actually. Both my parents died when I was eighteen. Bad road conditions equaled tragic accident. They were both only children and I never knew my grandparents." A soft, sad smile crossed her face. "They were my everything. It hit me hard when they passed. It's difficult, knowing I'm alone in the world. I think that's why I put so much into what I do-so that no villain gets the chance to bring about a possible world where families lose each other because of their maniac and deadly schemes."

"I'm sorry." Gru said, squeezing her hand.

"You didn't know." Lucy said dismissively. "And I've gotten over it, for the most part. All I can do is remember them, you know?"

Gru thought of his own mother, and though she had never been the warm motherly type, he knew he would miss her greatly when she passed. His father had left by choice. His mother had kept him by choice.

And although sometimes she made it seem like it was choice she regretted, he knew it wasn't. Marlena Gru never held on to something or someone she didn't like.

"You know, yoo have a family een us." Gru said. "The gurls, me, Dr. Nefario and de munchkins, as yoo call dem."

A feeling so warm and happy rose up and filled Lucy to the very core. "Thank you, Gru."

A brief moment of silence passed as they sipped their drinks. A thoughtful expression crossed Gru's face. "Lucy…"

"Yeah?"

"Ees dis our furst date?"

Lucy paused, lowering her mug and a slow grin curling across her face. "Yeah…it is!"

And as Gru looked at her glowing face, red strands of hair framing her brilliant and shining eyes, he hoped that there would be many more dates to come. Lucy was the only woman in the world who would be able to handle his crazy life.

He would love to have her in it for a _very_ long time.

**The End!**

**So I know the question I'm going to get is, **_**what about Mark?**_

**I plan on writing a follow up story (another short one) which will answer that question and focus on Gru and Lucy's wedding plans and then ceremony. **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! **

**Until next time, AnimationNut out.**

**Peace!**


End file.
